Is Indian Development Cooperation Taking a New Direction Under Modi?

Rising powers such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)
are taking independent stands and changing the discourse on development
cooperation in international fora. India has played a key role in driving this, most
recently contributing to the establishment of the BRICS Development Bank
and being nominated to host its first presidency.

At home, a new Development
Partnership Administration signals a commitment to a more coherent and
consistent implementation of development cooperation. However, the recently
elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government has yet to
articulate a clear development policy despite election pledges to strengthen
India’s position as world leader, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proactive
foreign policy engagement.

India needs to move on from the rhetoric of South-South Cooperation and ad hoc decisions based on high-level bilateral visits, to a
more concrete development agenda. It can play to the strength of its civil society
experience in poverty reduction, livelihood promotion and good governance, and
it needs to develop appropriate regulatory mechanisms for companies operating
its lines of credit or involved in foreign direct investment.